After working in public service for over a decade, Donald Knierim is still waiting for student-loan forgiveness.
Now he’s participating in a lawsuit in hopes of getting relief for himself — and thousands of others.
Knierim first spoke to Business Insider earlier in October. In 2015, the 71-year-old started working for Metra, Chicago’s commuter railway. His goal was to stay on the job for a decade in order to earn Public Service Loan Forgiveness, which forgives student debt for government and nonprofit workers after 10 years.
He thought he had succeeded in November 2025, when his Federal Student Aid dashboard read, “Congratulations! You’ve satisfied your obligation, and no additional payments are…